Archive for October, 2014

Minister Humphreys announces €25,000 support to encourage private sector investment in the arts

October 27th, 2014

Michael Owens, Chair of Business to Arts and Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys TD, at the Allianz Business to Arts Awards in the National Concert Hall

The Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys TD, has announced that her Department is providing €25,000 in support for Business to Arts to leverage private sector support for New Stream, our training and development programme which supports arts organisations in building fundraising and organisational capacity.

Minister Humphreys said “I am very impressed with the work of Business to Arts and the way in which it helps business and arts organisations to form mutually beneficial relationships. As we emerge from several difficult years of cutbacks for arts organisations, it remains important to find new and innovative ways to access support from the private sector.

“The New Stream programme focuses on training and development to allow the cultural sector to build fundraising and organisational capacity. This gives arts organisations the tools they need to engage with the private sector. I am very pleased to have been able to protect our National Cultural Institutions and the Arts Council from any cutbacks in this year’s Budget, but I fully recognise that the sector is still facing challenges. By helping arts organisations to diversify their funding options, Business to Arts is playing a really important role in future-proofing the sector.

“For every €1 invested in Business to Arts programmes, €23 of new income is created for artists, arts organisations and their activities. This shows just how important it is to have the right skills and the right platform if you want to succeed. I hope the €25,000 being invested by my Department in the New Stream programme will help Business to Arts attract further private sector funding and will encourage business organisations to appreciate the value of investing in the arts.”

Chief Executive of Business to Arts, Andrew Hetherington said: “Business to Arts is delighted to receive this two year commitment of investment from Minister Humphreys, a vote of confidence in the continuing impact of the ‘New Stream’ programme on the arts sector in Ireland. We’re looking forward to working with the Minister in contributing to the development work for Culture 2025, and hope to champion the positioning of a case study of Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s investments across the cultural sector in Ireland to inform the Government’s National Plan on Corporate Social Responsibility, as well as possible links between it and the Action Plan for Jobs.”